Finally, NBA Commissioner David Stern could not take it anymore. “All right, you want to go tit for tat, I’ll go tit for tat,” Stern said, according to the participants. “I’ll see you J.J. Barea and raise you Eddy Curry.” A shot to the gut, just like that.

Since signing with the Los Angeles Lakers two years ago, Artest has become immersed in Hollywood. There have been appearances on late-night TV, rap videos, references to psychiatrists, movies, and now a rumoured appearance on Dancing With The Stars.

This would be fine if Artest handled ‘his’ on-court. Unfortunately, it hasn’t been so; the former Defensive Player of the Year hasn’t consistently performed since joining Laker-nation.

“The one thing about basketball is it’s a global sport now, so you can play anywhere you want to.

“As far as myself, I just train. I just train and be prepared for anybody that calls, whether the NBA starts again or a team in Europe or a team here in China decides to call, then I’ll be ready….(Kobe Bryant).

Right now, the NBA is locked-out, which means owners and players are doing anything and everything to gain leverage when negotiations begin.

Take the owners. They’re crying poor and claiming incredible losses. And they’re threatening to shut-down the season unless the players accept some form of a hard cap.

Will 30 billionaires really shut-down the NBA for 2011-12? Will they kill the momentum the league gained in 2010-11?

Well, this is the owners’ bluff. This is the card Commissioner Stern, Mark Cuban, and Michael Jordan have. Of course, the players have their bluff, too.

NBA superstars, like Kobe Bryant, are threatening to take their talent abroad. Possible destinations: Europe and China. Will Bryant, who is used to first-class treatment, really ride busses, stay in second-rate hotels, and deal with mediocre facilities just to prove a point?

Well, this is the players' bluff. Bryant and his brethren are making sure the owners know they have options. Even if those options don't appear especially attractive.

Don Nelson will gladly trade those breezy Hawaiian trade winds for Minnesota winters and the chance to coach again, this time with the Timberwolves. "I think it'd be a great fit," he said. "I love Minnesota."

HoopsVibe’s Very Quick Call: I have two words for Minnesota Executive David Kahn –‘do not’.

Do not let him charm you. Do not let him fill your head with thoughts and ideas. Do not overlook his past. Most importantly, do not hire Don Nelson to coach your Timberwolves.

After all, ‘Nellie’ is the NBA’s version of scorched earth. He sets fire to, burns, and destroys everything he touches.

In the 1990s, he sued Chris Cohan and the Warriors. He walked on the New York Knicks. He went back to court and sued Mark Cuban and the Mavericks. And his second go-around with the Warriors wasn’t much better.

Most troubling, Nelson has an odd relationship with his players. For instance, he clashed with Chris Webber, struggled with Monta Ellis, and flip-flopped on Stephen Jackson and Al Harrington. In no time, Nelson would alienate, aggravate, and annoy Mike Beasley, Kevin Love, Ricky Rubio, and/or Derrick Williams

This must worry Kahn. After years of being an oddball outpost, the Wolves have young assets. Hiring the wrong coach, like Nelson, would compromise those young assets.

If Kahn wants a veteran sideline boss, he should consider Rick Adelman, Lawrence Frank, or even try pulling Hubie Brown out the broadcast booth to recreate his Memphis-magic in Minnesota.

Point blank: Nelson is done. The game has passed him by. He needs to cash his coaching 501K plan and spend his days walking the beaches of Maui and not an NBA sideline.

Whenever the NBA lockout ends and a frenzied free-agency period begins, Chandler and his agent, Jeff Schwartz, know he will have the entire league -- or at least those teams with spending power -- in the palm of his large hand.

"It's a great point in my career, and I'm coming up under free agency and there's a lot of great teams out there, a lot of great opportunities out there, a lot of up-and-building things," Chandler said Tuesday in a phone interview. "So, I mean, I've got to take a look at all that. I've got to take everything into consideration, and the good thing is I'm on a good side. I'm coming off an incredible year, so it's not a situation where it's worrisome."

Rudy Fernandez could return to the offseason headlines more for speculation about where he's headed than where he is. [Fernandez], who joined the Dallas Mavericks in a draft night trade less than two weeks ago, has been offered a six-year contract from Real Madrid, sportando.net reported via Spanish sports newspaper Mundo Deportivo. The deal reportedly is worth $4.35 million per year and would make the 6-foot-6 Spanish shooting guard the highest-paid player in the history of the Spanish basketball league. Fernandez, who averaged 8.6 points on 37 percent shooting last season with the Portland Trail Blazers, was due to make $2.2 next season with Dallas under the collective bargaining agreement that expired late Thursday as the NBA lockout began.

And during Thursday's celebration at the American Airlines Center, Terry hinted he'd like one more thing before he goes: "Brad Davis, Ro Blackman, move over, there's new jerseys coming to town." As Terry has mentioned many times before, he always wanted to retire with the Mavericks and, if the Mavericks won the title, have his No. 31 jersey retired. With a championship under his belt, he very well could get his wish.

Well, Terry thinks so. The star sixth-man had no issue telling the Mavericks faithful his jersey belongs in the rafters next to franchise great Rolando Blackman and fan favourite Brad Davis.

Terry is right. His jersey should be retired. And it likely will.

He was an integral part of a championship team. For years, he started at point guard. He also accepted a shift to the bench, where he evolved into an excellent reserve.

However, retiring a jersey is sacred. Much depends on the emotional connection a franchise has to that player. Much also depends on the owner.

So it's far from an exact science. Consider the Mavericks. Brad Davis has his jersey retired, but Derek Harper and Mark Aguirre do not.

Davis was a serviceable reserve who struck a chord with the club. Harper, an excellent point guard, and Aguirre, a terrific scorer, were better players than Davis, but failed to connect in the same way with fans or ownership.

There’s also the matter of grace. Predicting that Mark Cuban, or whoever owns the team when Terry`s playing days end, will retire his jersey is presumptuous.

The Mavs' won game six of the NBA Finals and, as a result, the Larry O'Brien trophy with balanced play, masterful three-point shooting, and offensive rebounding in the fourth quarter.

The storylines are endless: Future Hall of Famers Jason Kidd and Dirk Nowitzki get their rings; owner Mark Cuban really has a reason to smirk; Jason Terry's offensive explosion was reminiscent of Vinnie Johnson.

Plain and simple, the Mavericks were the better team.

The questions will continue for the Miami Heat. For instance, who will Executive Pat Riley sign to support the 'Three Kings'? And can the Heat afford the 'Three Kings' if the new Collective Bargaining Agreement changes the NBA's financial landscape?

Is Erik Spoelstra the coach to lead LeBron James and Dwyane Wade to a championship? If not, will 'Oil Slick' Riley stab Spoelstra in the back like Stan Van Gundy and return to the sideline?

These questions will be answered in the future. In the meantime, click the link for video highlights of game six, and get at us with thoughts on the Mavericks winning the championship.

Our big brothers at CraveOnline caught up with the always interesting Mark Cuban at SXSW recently, and naturally it didn't take long before the conversation turned to hoops. Among other topics covering the NBA and more, the billionaire owner of the Dallas Mavericks dropped his thoughts on Miami Heat's acquisition of LeBron James and Chris Bosh over the summer.

Mark Cuban weighs in on the Miami Heat “Three Kings” fiasco:

Mark Cuban: I’m a believer in karma. You’ve just opened yourself to a big old whack across the head like they did, you typically get it. It was a unique opportunity. There was a lot of excitement. They were smart to try to extend the excitement throughout the community, but I just think they went a little overboard. They tried to make it like a rock concert. They tried to make it like the biggest event, the Super Bowl of player signings. It becomes very anticlimactic. That’s the challenge. You don’t want to shoot your wad before you even get in business. That’s basically what they might have done. So you’ve got to be careful. You’ve got to understand, particularly in sports, at the start of the season, everybody’s undefeated, everybody’s excited about their team and you want to try to have a crescendo that builds through the season to hopefully something good at the end. It actually worked to the benefit of the league because instead of the Beatles, they were The Knack. They were the knockoff that so far hasn’t quite worked. Maybe it will but they became the villain. They were like the Oakland Raiders so that’s actually helped the league because people go watch them to boo ‘em. You always want a villain.

"I call Barnes the Charminator," said Terry. "You know what that is? That is a guy that's soft as Charmin' toilet paper. It's not only that he's a Pac-10 guy and he's a [UCLA] Bruin, and so you know we hate those guys -- us [Arizona] Wildcats, we hate Bruins. I don't care who you are. Whenever you don that uniform, I can't stand you, other than Reggie Miller. Barnes, I remember you when you were at Golden State, you're a journeyman. You put on that Laker uniform and you turn into Jerry West, Kareem, and Worthy, and Magic. Those are the real Lakers, not Barnes."

Barnes smiled when he was relayed Terry's comments after practice on Saturday afternoon. "I'm not worried about what he's talking about," Barnes said. "In Golden State we showed how to beat Dallas. You take it right to their chin and they back down. I don't see that nothing's changed since then so hopefully we see them again."

The Mavericks are aggressively trying to acquire Carmelo Anthony, according to league source. Dallas isn't concerned about receiving any assurances from Anthony about signing a long-term deal after the season.

HoopsVibe’s Very Quick Call: Mark Cuban must put down the phone and step away.

Then the renegade owner of the Dallas Mavericks must take the Denver Nuggets off speed dial, delete their GM Masai Ujiri from his list of contacts, and promise never to call.

Ever.

Such precautions are necessary for Cuban, especially since he’s considering breaking up his Dallas Mavericks, who currently have the third best record in the NBA, to rent Carmelo Anthony for fifty odd games.

Anthony’s not worth it. Not for a half season. Not for a full season. Not for multiple seasons.

The Mavericks are championship contenders. They’re 9-1 in their past ten games; just swept the state of Florida by beating the red hot Miami Heat and rebuilding Orlando Magic; and possess the rare ability to get-stops at home and on the road.

Where would Anthony fit on this defensive juggernaut that emphasizes chemistry?

After all, he treats defense like a contagious disease. And he wouldn’t sacrifice minutes, touches, and/or shots to win.

Anthony has always been The Guy. He was The Guy in High School, at Syracuse, and with the Denver Nuggets.

He couldn’t play second fiddle to Mr. Maverick Dirk Nowitzki or fit with Coach Rick Carlisle’s team concept. He couldn’t because he’s never had to.

Anthony needs a team to accommodate him. Like the lowly New Jersey Nets, where he can be the face of the franchise and shoot until his heart is content.

Hopefully, Cuban realizes what he has. Anthony won’t put his Mavericks over the top. In fact, he’d do the opposite.
--Oly Sandor.
Got thoughts? Well, get at HoopsVibe News in the comment box below.

Mavericks owner Mark Cuban commented on the LeBron James fiasco for the first time on Wednesday in an appearance on The Dunham and Miller Show on SportsRadio 1310 in Dallas.

"LeBron has every right to go wherever and do whatever, whatever team he wants to," Cuban said. "Going to the Heat was his choice, those guys working together. I don't even have a problem with the three of them working together, as long as they follow all of the NBA rules, which I think they did.

HoopsVibe's Very Quick Call: First, there was his Trump inspired reality show. Then came Dancing With The Stars. Now Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban is making a cameo on Entourage.

Of course, Entourage is the HBO hit sitcom, which follows the exploits of movie star Vin Chase and his friends in Hollywood. Watch Cuban's short appearance and get at us with thoughts on his acting skills in the comment box below.

The Dallas Mavericks are expecting star forward Dirk Nowitzki to opt out of his contract late next month and become an unrestricted free agent July 1, sources close to the situation told ESPN.com.

The Mavericks, though, continue to negotiate with Nowitzki on an extension in hopes of convincing him to preempt his free agency. They remain confident the leading scorer in franchise history will stay with the only NBA team with which he's played, even if Nowitzki winds up joining the most anticipated free-agent class in league history.

HoopsVibe's Call: In the words of EPMD, it's 'business never personal'.

Money is forcing Dirk Nowitzki to consider using his opt-out; he has little desire to leave the Dallas Mavericks. By becoming an unrestricted free agent this July, the former MVP can get more money from the current Collective Bargaining Agreement than if he played the final year of his contract and negotiated a new deal under the next Collective Bargaining Agreement.

However, it's in both Nowitzki and Dallas' interests to get a new pact done -and soon. After all, the big German, if signed, could be used to lure a top free agent this summer.

Mark Cuban understands that Dirk and the Mavericks - unlike Erick Sermon and Parrish Smith (EPMD) - should stick together, so expect the renegade owner to reward his star employee and friend with a massive extension.

Will Cuban keep Nowitzki? Why? Why not?Get at us in the comment box below with thoughts.

The job of keeping Dirk Nowitzki with the Mavericks next season and possibly beyond has begun.

Owner Mark Cuban said Monday that the team has opened discussions with the face of the franchise about locking him up. Nowitzki has the option of terminating the final year on his contract if he does so before July 1.

Cuban added that the Mavericks are going to pick up their team option for backup guard J.J. Barea for the 2010-11 season.

"We are definitely bringing J.J. back, and we are already in talks with Dirk about his deal," he said.

Cuban would not elaborate on whether a three-year extension might already be on the table for Nowitzki. That would be the longest addition the Mavericks could tack on at the moment. It could be worth the maximum allowed, approximately $75 million.

Cuban spent several minutes in a small room, sitting in a chair with his head down following the loss. Finally, he emerged and wasn't happy at a TNT cameraman in the locker room who had taped Cuban with his head down in the small room. Cuban asked a Mavericks media relations person to obtain the tape.

Cuban then congratulated the Spurs and apologzied to Mavericks' fans.

"Congratulations to the Spurs. George Hill emerged as the star and really was the difference-maker. They deserve to win. They're a Texas team, so I guess I'll be rooting for them the rest of the way. I'm proud of our guys and the way they kept on fighting back," Cuban said. "I'm not so proud of the NBA.

"I'm not proud of my inability over the last 10 years to have an impact like I want to have, so I kind of feel like I owe fans an apology, but that's just the way this business goes, but congratulations to the Spurs."

Cubes can't be pleased his franchise has flamed out in the first round yet again. If you're keeping score at home, the Mavericks were the first one seed ever to lose to an eight in a best-of-seven series, and yesterday they became the first two seed ever to lose to a seven over a full series. Still, there's always next season. - CYE

Tim Donaghy, a former NBA referee and author of Personal Fouls, talked about Danny Crawford and his record officiating the Mavericks and how referees see Mavericks owner Mark Cuban.

Donaghy says Crawford's record officiating games with the Mavericks is suspect and that Cuban still makes the Mavericks a target.

“I write about this a lot in the book ‘Personal Foul’ that Danny was pretty much proud of the fact that what his record was while refereeing Dallas Mavericks playoff games so I don’t know that it is a streak that he wants to keep alive or what the story is with that, but I just think that it is almost humanly impossible a referee could have that record with one team during playoff games alone.”